In Memorian: Michael Steven Harper, 1938-2016
Michael S. Harper, who taught at Brown University in Providence for 43 years, was the first poet laureate of the state of Rhode Island.
In Memoriam: Jesse Edward Nash Jr., 1926-2016
A native of Buffalo, Nash joined the faculty at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, in 1965 and taught sociology and anthropology there for 33 years before his retirement in 1998. He also lectured in the School of Graduate Education of the University at Buffafo.
In Memoriam: James Bell, 1925-2016
After teaching at several HBCUs, James Bell joined the faculty at Cal Poly Pomona in 1968. Four years later, he was the first African American to be appointed a vice president in the California State University System.
In Memoriam: Horace Taliaferro Ward, 1927-2016
Horace Ward was a long-time federal judge who was the first African American to apply to the University of Georgia. His application for admission to the university’s law school was reject due to his race.
In Memoriam: Crawford Joseph Mims, 1922-2016
During his long career in higher education, Dr. Sims taught at Rust College, Shorter College, and Philander Smith College. He was provost at Philander Smith College and on three occasions served as interim president of the historically Black educational institution.
In Memoriam: Cecil Wayne Cone, 1937-2016
Dr. Cone was a theologian, educator, author, and the former president of Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. He became a minister at the age of 13 and was named pastor of an African Methodist Episcopal Church at the age of 16.
In Memoriam: Ulysses Van Spiva, 1931-2016
In 1979, Dr. Spiva was named dean of the College of Education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He was the first African American dean in the university's history.
In Memoriam: David Nathaniel Baker Jr., 1931-2016
Professor Baker joined the faculty at Indiana University's Jacob School of Music in 1966. There he founded the jazz program and served as its director for 45 years from 1968 to 2013.
In Memoriam: S. Rudolph Martin Jr., 1935-2016
In 1970, Martin was one of 18 founding faculty members at Evergreen State College. During a 27-year career at Evergreen State, Dr. Martin served as academic dean and taught classes in the humanities and the arts. He retired in 1997.
In Memoriam: Russell G. Hamilton, 1934-2016
Dr. Hamilton, professor emeritus of Spanish and Portuguese at Vanderbilt University, joined the faculty at the university in 1984 as dean for graduate studies and research. He was the first African American to serve as a dean of a Vanderbilt school or college.
In Memoriam: Bettye Lois Grigsby, 1966-2016
Dr. Grigsby was an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She also served as chair of the department of leadership and policy analysis and was chair of the doctorate of education in educational leadership program at the university.
In Memoriam: Booker Taliaferro Felder, 1922-2016
Booker Taliaferro Felder taught in the clothing and related arts department at Tuskegee University in Alabama for 40 years. After retiring from teaching he operated a gift shop across the street from the university's campus.
In Memoriam: Chester Davis, 1927-2016
Dr. Chester Davis joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts in 1971. He chaired the Afro-American studies department there from 1985 to 1988.
In Memoriam: Harold M. Rose, 1930-2016
Dr. Rose was Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He joined the faculty at the university in 1962 and taught there for 33 years.
In Memoriam: Cynthia V. Clemons
Cynthia V. Clemons was a professor and director of the Center for Entrepreneurship Studies at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She had also served as dean of the Division of Social Sciences and Education at the college.
In Memoriam: Holly Adrienne Hogrobrooks, 1940-2016
As a student at Texas Southern University in 1960, Hogrobrooks was one of the leaders of a student movement that staged the first lunchcounter sit-in Houston.
In Memoriam: Bryan R. Washington, 1958-2015
Bryan Washington was an associate professor emeritus of English at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He joined the faculty at Lafayette College in 1987 and was promoted to associate professor and granted tenure in 1994.
In Memoriam: Toni Kay Johnson, 1956-2016
Dr. Johnson joined the faculty at the University of Kansas in 2005 and was promoted to associate professor in 2012. Before joining the University of Kansas faculty, Dr. Johnson taught in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee-Memphis.
In Memoriam: Anita H. Grant, 1961-2015
Anita H. Grant was electronic acquisitions librarian at Ohio University in Athens. During her 25-year tenure on the library's staff, she was director of circulation services and director of the microfilms department.
In Memoriam: Frances Cress Welsing, 1935-2016
Frances Cress Welsing was a psychiatrist, author, and political commentator. She also served for more than a decade as an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Howard University College of Medicine.
In Memoriam: Charles Frederick Harris, 1934-2015
Harris served as director of Howard University Press for more than a decade. While in this post, the press published approximately 100 books, predominantly in the social sciences and the humanities.
In Memoriam: Diane Mae Stewart Pollard, 1944-2015
After serving on the faculty at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Professor Pollard joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1976. She taught there for more than 30 years.
In Memoriam: Walter Wallace, 1927-2015
Walter Wallace taught sociology at Princeton University for 30 years. At Princeton, Professor Wallace was the faculty adviser for the senior thesis of Michelle Robinson, who is now First Lady of the United States.
In Memoriam: Walter J. Leonard, 1929-2015
Dr. Leonard served as president of Fisk University from 1977 to 1984. Earlier he held several posts at Harvard University and is credited with being a major force in the racial diversity of the student body at Harvard.
In Memoriam: William Alexander Darity Sr., 1924-2015
Williams Alexander Darity Sr. was professor emeritus of public health and the founding dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
In Memoriam: Bill T. Ridgeway, 1926-2015
When Dr. Ridgeway joined the faculty at Eastern Illinois University in 1966, he was one of very few African Americans on the faculty. He taught at Eastern Illinois University for many years. retiring in the 1980s.
In Memoriam: Robert Martin Screen
Robert Martin Screen was head tennis coach at Hampton University for 41 years. He is the only African American coach to win a national collegiate tennis championship. He also was chair of the department of communication sciences and disorders for more than 50 years.
In Memoriam: Jefferson Joseph Jones, 1932-2015
Jefferson J. Jones joined the faculty at Case Western Reserve University in 1967. He served on the faculty there for more than 40 years. Dr. Jones was the first African American endodontist in the state of Ohio.
In Memoriam: Herman Warren
Professor Warren joined the faculty at Virginia Tech in 1989. He was a recognized as an expert on corn and sorghum diseases and developed plants that were resistance to disease.
In Memoriam: Terry Kershaw, 1952-2015
Dr. Kershaw was a professor of Africana studies at the University of Cincinnati. Before joining the faculty at the University of Cincinnati in 2009, Professor Kershaw led the Africana studies program and was the director of the Center for Race and Social Policy at Virginia Tech.
In Memoriam: Asa Timothy Spaulding Jr., 1934-2015
Asa T. Spaulding Jr. was the former president of Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina, university lecturer, and served as a member of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.
In Memoriam: Elizabeth N. Noel, 1951-2015
Dr. Noel joined the faculty at Prairie View A&M University in Texas in 1981. She served as professor, department chair, dean of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, and associate vice president for research.
In Memoriam: Blanche Macdonald Francis, 1925-2015
A former instructor of modern dance at two universities, Blanche Macdonald Francis was the "First Lady" of Xavier University in New Orleans for more than 45 years.
In Memoriam: Robert Curvin, 1934-2015
Dr. Curvin served as dean of the Milano School of Management and Urban Policy at the New School and as a senior policy fellow at the School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
In Memoriam: Sybil C. Mobley, 1925-2015
Dr. Mobley was named chair of the business department at Florida A&M University in 1970 and in 1974 became the founding dean of the School of Business and Industry. She served in that role until her retirement in 2003.
In Memoriam: Charles Henry Wallington Jr., 1976-2015
Dr. Wallington joined the faculty at Oakwood University in July as an assistant professor of allied health. He had been a practicing physical therapist for many years before joining the faculty.
